One month before his 10th birthday, Jack O’Neil made the pivotal decision to have his leg amputated, after exhaustingly dealing with a congenital birth defect. The Paralympic Swimmer has never looked back. 

“Before In that same year, he qualified for U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships—in addition to finishing second in the U.S. Triathlon ParaNationals. This summer, he represented the U.S. in the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris. 

“I’ve been disabled all my life,” Jack says. “When I was born, my left leg was smaller than the right and it didn’t grow at the same rate—my knee didn’t work, my ankle didn’t work. We tried to save it with a ton of surgeries, but I’d had enough.” 

Not all of Jack’s doctors agreed that amputation was the best decision, but as a nineyear- old, Jack was inspired seeing para-athletes who used running blade prosthetics. 

Jack’s left leg was amputated above the knee and within two weeks of his surgery he was back in the water. He’s been consistently building his athleticism ever since. What’s more, Jack is inspiring young athletes through representation. Growing up, Jack was the only disabled youth athlete that he knew. He’s now advocating to help make the NCAA a more inclusive place for people with disabilities. 

“You don’t see people who look like you, and I think representation is so important,” Jack says. “It makes me excited when I see another amputee who is just a normal kid looking for someone like them to look up to.” 

Jack is a force. He was the first athlete with a disability to compete in the USA Triathlon Youth Nationals, High School Nationals, and ParaNationals and the first para-athlete to qualify under able-bodied time standards in Illinois and in Colorado. 

His passion for swimming has led him around the world. He’s competed in Japan, Italy, Chile, and more. Swimming is what also led him to UW. After trying to connect with different schools and receiving mixed reactions, he connected with UW Head Coach and ’08 Paralympian Dave Denniston who promised he’d be treated exactly like everyone else on the team. 

In his three years as a Cowboy, Jack’s grown not only as a swimmer but a leader as well. Currently, he serves as an elected team captain.